Regrets
by Noma89
Summary: A short look into Sheela's past and her encounter with the horrific Red Baron. Please read and review.


Regrets  
  
Created 4/26/04  
  
Finished 7/6/04  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own Shining Force or any of the characters mentioned in the story below. I do not intend on making money off of this short fic.  
  
"My god, are you alright!?" yelled Sheela, as she grabbed onto Astral's arm and helped him off the wet stone pavement.  
  
"Fine, Fine." he groaned as he stood wearily, and looked at her.  
  
Blood dripped from his chin as it oozed from a gash in his wrinkled face, and she gasped at the sight of it.  
  
"Come here." Sheela said, as she took a rag from her pocket, and dabbed his face gently.  
  
"It's fine, Sheela." said Astral, pushing her hand away. "It is easily fixed."  
  
And with that, he razed his staff into the air, closed his eyes, and became engulfed in a glorious white light. Sheela looked at it as he shined brightly against the gloomy horizon, and gazed at him in amazement.  
  
"Wow." she said, as the light subsided.  
  
The blood was almost gone, but there was a small cut still on his cheek, slightly red with fresh blood.  
  
"How did you…" Sheela asked, as she looked at him, still amazed.  
  
"Someone as old as I learns a few tricks here and there." said Astral, as she walked toward her.  
  
"I have been training to be a priestess for years, and yet I can hardly heal a paper cut."  
  
"It will come to you." said Astral. "In time, you will learn to wield the power of divine light, and you will be able to heal the nastiest of wounds."  
  
"I hope so." she said, as they walked off toward the main hall.  
  
One Year Later  
  
"Pierre?" called Sheela, as she walked into the Galam Chapel, her priest's robes dragging against the hard stone below her. "Pierre, are you here?"  
  
"In here." called Pierre from the back room. "Just looking through some old things of mine."  
  
"Well, as I said." started Sheela, "You can bring whatever you please. I know you've lived here for a long time, and I just want you to be happy when we leave."  
  
Pierre popped his head out from the room, with a look of worry on his face.  
  
"Sheela. I won't be all that upset when we leave." said Pierre. "We can always visit."  
  
"Of course." said Sheela, as she walked back out of the chapel.  
  
The sky was bright with very little clouds in it, and the light spring breeze felt good against her face. She walked up to a large carriage where a large man sat.  
  
"Are we almost ready?" asked Sheela.  
  
"We're all packed. We leave when your fiancé is ready." said the man.  
  
"Good." said Sheela, as she hopped onto the back of the carriage.  
  
Pierre came stumbling out of the chapel, a large bundle of books and other odd things in his arms.  
  
"Oh, for goodness sake." moaned Sheela as she jumped back down from the carriage, and helped him with his things.  
  
"Sorry." said Pierre, as he wobbled along toward the carriage, were the man sat ready to go.  
  
They both climbed onto the back and the horses began to trudge toward the rear gate of Galam. As the gate opened, a loud roar of the front drawbridge met Sheela's ears, and she looked toward the front entrance curiously.  
  
"Why are they razing the gates?" she asked Pierre, as they both looked toward the front gate.  
  
Suddenly, from the front of the castle, a huge band of soldiers marched silently toward the gates, their spears pointing directly into the air. In front of them stood Lemon and King Galam, and Sheela looked at them with an odd suspicion.  
  
"They are…" she started, "going into battle!?"  
  
"Seems so." replied Pierre. "But a battle with whom?"  
  
They were both silent as the carriage pulled out of Galam, and rode off toward the open plains…  
  
One Year Later  
  
Sheela finished polishing her silver staff, a present that she had received from Pierre the previous year. It was late, and Pierre had already nodded off while reading in bed. Sheela closed the open cupboard in the kitchen, on put out the still burning coals of the den's fireplace. She then lit the one in their bedroom, and got undressed. The moonlight glistened through the partially open window as she got into her gown, and lifted the bed covers, and got under them.  
  
She grabbed the book that still lay open on Pierre's chest, and blew out the candle next to him. She lye toward the open window, out into the cool night. The moon was bright and kept her awake for some time. She had been waiting for over a year for her wedding, and it was just around the corner.  
  
Pierre, who was once a Galam priest, has proposed to her, and they moved to a small town far from Galam, where they planned to marry. They had fallen behind on their plans after the move, but had finally made plans to marry in three days.  
  
The morning came upon Sheela abruptly. She looked out at the sun, as it shown brightly through the still opened window. Birds chirped wildly in the nearby trees, and the chattering of villagers outside could be heard.  
  
Sheela got up and dressed into her priestess clothing, and walked to the door. Pierre didn't seem to be home this morning, and she suspected he had gone out to get the morning milk. She sat at the kitchen table, and put on her yellow boots. They were marked with a holy symbol, and were a perfect fit.  
  
She left the home after making sure the fireplace was out after leaving, and walked out into the crisp, cool morning air. The town had no chapel, but Sheela received priestess training from the priest in a small dug out cave in the edge of a cliff. It was well lit, and dry inside, so it was considered fit for living during the towns construction.  
  
She marched slowly toward the cliff, but noticed something strange on the way there. Several villagers were conversing in front of a well near her house. They seemed a bit agitated. Sheela looked at them suspiciously, and then walked toward them to see what was going on.  
  
"They say he has murdered many of Galam's soldiers…" said one villager.  
  
"I hope he never comes this far across Grans. If he can kill members of his own battalion, who knows what he'd do to us…" said another.  
  
"What's going on??" asked Sheela when she had reached the well.  
  
"A man named Red Baron has been sighted near Galam. He was said to be the leader of Galam's army, but he turned against them." said one of the villagers. "They say he kills for the thrill…he must have so many brutal war experiences that he has gone mad…"  
  
Sheela stood and listened to the villagers as they spoke of the evil man known only as Red Baron. Sheela knew not of a man when she lived in Galam one year earlier. This made her a bit curious, and a bit frightened as well.  
  
Nevertheless, she went to see the priest and had her says training. When she left, it was mid afternoon, and the sun was getting toward the center of the sky. She reached her home, and their stood Pierre in the kitchen. He had a glass of milk in his hand, along with a slice of rye bread.  
  
"Oh, you're home." said Sheela, as she shut the wooden door and put her staff aside. "I missed you this morning."  
  
"I was a bit hungry." he mumbled with his mouth full. "You woke up later this morning…"  
  
"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night." she replied.  
  
They were both quiet the rest of the night, until they went into bed. They spoke until late, about the wedding. Pierre seemed excited, as did Sheela, but neither of them talked about that. They discussed what they would like to have after the ceremony, who they would invite, est..   
  
They both finally dozed off next to each other, and they were both content in each others arms. They had been waiting so long for a chance to express their feelings in a serious environment, but had never gotten the chance. Only two days remained until they felt it was safe to be honest with one another.  
  
The next morning was not one of happiness. Sheela awoke to the sound of something she never thought she would ever hear. Her eyes popped open as the sun was just reaching over the horizon. A loud clang rung through the small town, and reached Sheela's ears. The sound was followed by another, more horrifying sound. A woman's scream rang into Sheela's house, and she lifted her abruptly.  
  
Something was happening. She could feel it, somehow. She stood and threw on her cloths as quick as she could, and grabbed her silver staff. Pierre was not in bed again, nor was he in any other room in the house.  
  
"Oh, Pierre…please don't be hurt…" she whispered to herself.  
  
She threw open the door, and sure enough, Pierre stood only a few feet in front of the house, near the town entrance.  
  
"Pierre!" she yelled out, and ran to him.  
  
He turned and grabbed her as she ran into his arms, and embraced her. From behind his shoulder, she could see a tall man in red armor, smeared in blood, standing several yards away. He wielded a black sword that was riddled with an evil aura.  
  
Sheela closed her eyes tightly, and shoved her face into Pierre's shoulder as the Red Baron swiftly swatted a villager aside with his blade, slicing him in two. His body crash though a window and into one of the homes.  
  
A woman screamed as she watched her husband and son get a blade torn through them, and was silenced when Red Baron had slain her as well.  
  
"We have to leave, NOW!" said Pierre, as he tried to pull Sheela from his chest. "Sheela! Let go! We can't stay here!!"  
  
Sheela finally let go of Pierre's robes, and grabbed his hand instead. They both sprinted from the town as fast as they could, but it was in vain. Red Baron almost seemed to dash right to their side, and readied his blade. Both Pierre and Sheela gasped as they ran, and Red Baron became a speeding blur next to them. Pierre stopped abruptly, and looked at Sheela.  
  
"I love you, forgive me." he said, and he grabbed her silver rod, and quickly thrust it into her stomach.  
  
She gasped for air, and her eyes began to tear. She fell to the ground, and Pierre turn to face Red Baron, as he ripped his blade across Pierre's chest, and then thrust in it through his torso.  
  
Pierre fell next to a barely conscious Sheela, and slowly bled to death. She cried as her fiancé grabbed her hand, and slowly drifted into an eternal sleep.  
  
She grabbed his hand, and looked at his face. His eyes were closed, and a singly drop of blood fell from his open mouth. She watched as Red Baron dashed across the town, toward another helpless victim.  
  
With what little strength was left in her, she crawled out of the city, and did so for at least 50 yards. Finally, she found the strength to stand and trudged off into the sands of the northern Grans Island.  
  
Sheela awoke the next day in an unfamiliar place. The room was lined with neatly folded cots and pillows. She lifted her head, and looked around. Her cloths were missing, and all that she had was a sheet and bandages that rapped her stomach. She stood, her legs wobbled a bit, but she found her balance nonetheless. She rapped herself in the sheet, and proceeded down the stairs reluctantly.  
  
When she reached the bottom, she stood in large room, containing a long table and a stove. She slowly crept into another room nearby, and peered into it. Inside, was nothing but a giant rag that covered the floor. Roughly 7 men stood in the room, all of them running and jumping, punching and kicking.  
  
"Ninjas…?" she whispered to herself.  
  
I nearby man heard her, and looked in her direction. He whispered to another man, who looked at a small figure rapped in green monks robes.  
  
When she noticed she had been spotted, Sheela, ducked back into the dining room, and lifted the sheets to make sure she was fully covered. The man in green came around the corner, followed by two other ninjas.  
  
"Ah, you are awake…" said the green clad man.  
  
"Ye..yes." she muttered, her voice was weak and hoarse.  
  
"One of my monks found you unconscious near our training grounds, so we decided to take you in." explained the man. "You've been asleep for two days."  
  
"Pierre…" she whispered, and her eyes began to water.  
  
"I have heard the rumors that the nearby city was demolished by Red Baron." said one of the monks. "I thought he must have been the one to wound you."  
  
"I…I guess you could say that." she muttered.  
  
"I healed your wounds, but they had to be rapped so they wouldn't leave a scar." said another monk.  
  
Sheela's face went red, and she rapped her sheet tighter.  
  
"You…undressed me!?" she said loudly, her face bright pink as she blushed.  
  
"Uh…" mumbled the monk, as he too blushed and looked at his feet.  
  
A few months had gone by, and Sheela vowed to seek revenge on Red Baron. She asked the lead monk to train her. He agreed, and instantly became one of the most powerful monks around. She revisited the city her and Pierre had lived in, and found that he had been buried by survivors of the attack. He was buried with a silver rod, and a painting of his wife…  
  
A few days after Sheela's return, she began preparations to travel to Galam on foot, and seek out Red Baron. Before she left, she bathed one more time in under the waterfall behind the monk's foundation, and met up with a band of soldiers with a similar objective, and revisited her past through and old friend named Sir Astral.  
  
Hope you liked it. It was just something I though up one day, but I had only written about a page and then I kind of put it aside. I just finished it after only about three hours of writing and about four months of 1/5 of it sitting in my hard drive. Please review :D.  
  
Thanks for Reading:  
  
Mike 


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